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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. drill — army training
  8. object — to protest
  9. bulb — for light
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. board — to get on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — a thing
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com